Breech-loading fire-arm



(Nu MOG I.) :2 sheets sneet i E. PIERCE.

BREBUE LOADING FIRE ARM.

No. 255.830 Patented Mar. 21,1882.

beets--Sheet E. HTRGE.

BREEGHLOADING FIRE ARM.

(No Mmdek) Patented Mar 21,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

nnnsnzen Pinnoe, on NEW linnr oni), MASSACHUSETTS.

BREEQH-LOADING FlRE-ARM.

SPECIFICATION forrning part of Letters Patent No. 255,330, dated March 21, 1889. Application filed Septcmber24,1881. tNo model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Bejt known that I, EBENEZER. PIERCE, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Bedford, in the county of Bristol and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvementsin Breech-Loading Shoulder- Guns for KillingWhalcs,ofwhich the following is a specification.

Thisinvention relates to a breech-loading gun for killing whales; and it consists in a metal gun, the stock and barrel and thelocking and firtion of the retractor.

, mediate lugnpon the barrel.

ing-meehanism of which ties of construction and organization hereinafter described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure l is a side elevation of the gun with the rear end of its barrel opened or tilted up. Fig. 2 is 'a'similar viewwith, the rear end" of the barrel closed or tilted down. Fig. 3 is a longitudinalsectionof Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is alike view, showing a modification in the construc- Fig. 5 is a transverse section through the stock and barrel.

The barrel A of the gun is pivoted to the stock B by means ot'any suitable pivotal connection--as, ing'throngh lugs upon the stock and an inter- As guns for killirig whales ar'required to be of great weight, and strength, the entire stock of this gun is formed of asingle inctalcasting with a skeleton butt, whereby the desired weight and strength are attained,and at the same time a minimum quantity of metal is used. The stock is cast with a breechpiece, (J, and has the requisite hole or passage formed through it for a tiringpin, and it is also formed with a chamber in rear of the breech-piece for the lock, the said chamber being closed by a cap-plate, 1), that is secured by means of screws upon the stock. The rearend of the barrel tips upwardly, so as to expose its open end lor receiving the bomblance arid cartridge, and after loading it is in the said lugs when the rear end of the barrel is tipped down into the forward channeled portion of the stock. 'lhese recesses, which all have the peculiari-' for instance, by a pivot, a, passare locatedin advance of the breech-piece, are formed in the sides of the said channeledpart of the cast-metal stock; and in order to provide broad bearingsfor the lugs the cast-metal stock is somewhat enlarged atthe points where the recesses are formed. The logs will be preferably made slightly wedge'shaped in crosssection, and thewalls ot' the recesses have corresponding inclinations to facilitate the eugagement of the lugs in the recesses, or their disengagement therefrom when the rear end of the barrel is tilted up. Dari ng the act ot' tiring the shock and strain will be transferred from the barrel to its lugs, and hence the walls of the recesses within which the lugs arc titted will receive the impact of recoil." In this class of guns the recoil is very heavy, and hence great strength of parts is essential. These logs being arranged on the sides of the barrel directly opposite each other, and about in line with the axis of the barrel or its longitudinal center, and being received into the said recesses, will entirely re-= lieve the pivot by which the barrel is connected with/the stock from allstrain during firing,

and will also relieve the locking plate or latch from pressure and strain; also, they will so hold the barrel that butaslight locking device will be required for maintTIihing the rear end ot' the harretin position against the breechpiece.

Thedevice for locking down the barrel consists of a slide-plate, G, arranged below the top or cross plate, I), with its forward end resting in a recess, 9, lormed in' the top portion of the breech-piece, and its rear end extending in, a suitably cut-away porticnoi' the stock just back of the lock-chamber. '1 he rear end of the barrel will be slightly cut away at its upper edge, so as to form a recess, at, having its bottom flush with the bottom ofthe recess 9 in the breech-piece, in order that when the barrel is 'down the locking-plate-cmi be thrown forward so as to engage the barrel. This locking-plate is normally thrown forward by means of a spring, II, arranged to bear against the back wall of the locking-chamber, and it is provided upon its under side with a stop, It, which, when This roe

,25 w the lower'eud of a small lever which is pivoted step will be ot'especial use when the rear end of the barrel is tilted up, since it: will obviate any liability of the locking-plate projecting too far out.

As a means for retracting the locking-plate in order to free it from engagement with the barrel, 1 provide a. retractor consisting of a lever, l, pivoted within a recess, 'i, in rear of the lockchaniber, and connected with the locking plate by means of a stud or lip, c entering a slot in the locking-plate. The rear long arm ot" this pivoted retractor will normally be in an elevated position above the stock, so that 'by depressing the same by hand the locking-plate will be drawn back against thcspringpressurc, and upon releasing it the locking-plate will be instantly thrown forward and the rctractor again raised. in Fig. e I have shown asoniewhat'moditled construction of retractor, it consisting in this instance of a pin, K, arranged to slide freely through a longitudinal bore between the, locking-chamber and the space in the slrcleton. butt-end of the stock. The rear end of this pin has a suitable head or knob, and its forward end is arranged to act against Within the lock-chamber. The upper end of this lever engages in a recess formed in the locking-plate, so that by pushing forward the pin this lever will be vibrated and thereby retract the locking-plate. A suitable stop device will be provided for preventing this form of retractor from coming ont--such, for instance, as asmall pin connected with the stock i and received in an elongated recess in the retractor-pin. I

The gun willbe provided with a suitable cock or hammer, L, pivoted within the lockcliambcr and acted upon by the spring M, a cocking-lever being arranged upon the ham- 'mer-spindlc outside of the gun for the purpose ofcoching the hammer.

A trigger-guard will bcsccured to the stock and a trigger, N, employed for holding and releasing the hammer, at; the will of the operator, as usual.

in English Patent No. 139 of the year 1865 is shown abrcech-loading fire-arm in which a false breech is screwed to a main breech and provided with two arms having between them a taperingrece'ss, and the hinged barrel is provided on each side with a front and rear laterally-projectin g tapering'projcction, the latter i resting in the tapering-recess and the former bearingagainst the from arm outhe false hreeclnt-hc barrel being locked in the firing position by means of a hook pivoted tothe exterior of the trigger-plate, adapted to engage the rear projectionon the barrel. This construction of breech-loader would not: be practical for use as a bomb-gun for killing whales, because exceedingly heavy charges are necessary, and'infirin g the gun the excessive shocks,

' strains, and vibrations to which such guns must;

be subjected would soon loosen or rupture the screw attachmentot' thet'alse breech-piece with which the hinged barrel interlocks, as in the English patent; referred to. is necessary to provide the hinged barrel with two projections on each side to embrace the front upright arm on the false breech, and. to afiord means for a pivoted hook to lock the barrel in a firing position; and such construction renders the said front upright arm liable to be broken oli,'cspecially so if the construction be used in bon'ib-guns,where excessive charges must be used. in my invention the bomb-gun is composed wholly of metal and the pn'ijections on the barrel rest in recesses cast or formed directly in the metal frame, whereby the parts are capable of withstanding all shocks, strains, and vibrations to which the gun may be subjected.

In that patent; it I Having thus described my invention, what:

I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A breech loading shoulder=gun for killing for firing the gun, the locking and tiring mechanism being boxed together within the locking-chamber oi the stock, said parts being all constructed and arranged substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I havchcrcunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EBENEZER PIERCE.

Witnesses:

James-L. Nonnis,

JAMnsA. RUTHERFORD. 

